“Gifts Of The
Spirit, Part 6: The Gift Of Healing”
By
Jim Bomkamp
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
In our last study, we looked at more of the
‘manifestation gifts’ of the Holy Spirit
1.1.1. We looked at the ‘gift of faith’
1.2.
In our study today we are
going to continue looking at the ‘manifestation gifts’ of the Holy Spirit
1.2.1. We will look at the ‘gift of healing’
2.
The gift of Healing is
mentioned in 1 Cor. 12:9b, “…and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit;”
2.1.
As we look back at God’s
dealings with His people from the scriptures, we see that the Lord performed
healing upon His people from the earliest times.
2.1.1. In
Gen. 20:17, we read that after
Abraham had traveled and told everyone that Sarah was his sister, that a man
named Abimelech took Sarah planning to make her one of his wives, however God
told Abimelech in a dream that he was a dead man, and then we find that after
Abimelech gave Sarah back to Abraham that Abraham prayed
for Abimelech’s wives and maids and God healed their wombs, “17 And
Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maids, so
that they bore children.”
2.1.2. In
the book of Leviticus, chapters 13 and
14, there are the regulations concerning the handling
of someone who has been infected with leprosy, and it is interesting that the
person was to be confined away from public for a period to wait and to see if he would be ‘healed’ by God of his leprosy.
2.1.3. In
Numbers chapter 12 we read that Moses prayed for Miriam to be healed from her leprosy
which she had received from the Lord because of her rebellion and she was
healed
2.1.4. In
Deut. 32:39, the Lord says that there
is no god like Him, for He can put to death and give life, and wound and
heal, “ 39 ‘See now that I, I am He,
And there is no god besides Me; It is I
who put to death and give life. I have
wounded, and it is I who heal; And there is no one who can deliver from My
hand.”
2.1.5. In
2 Kings chapter 4, Elisha was used
by God in the raising from the dead the
son of the Shunammite woman (he had previously prayed that she would
have a son)
2.1.6. In
2 Kings 5 we see that Elisha was
used by God in the healing of Naaman the Syrian
Captain of his leprosy.
2.1.7. In
2 Chron. 30:20 we read that
during the days of the ministry of Isaiah that the Lord
healed king Hezekiah and added fifteen years to his life.
2.2.
Doctors cannot perform
healing only treatments, it is God and Him only who can heal anyone. Therefore, God’s healings occur all of the
time when people get well from their diseases
2.3.
In the New Testament period of the early church, we see that
healing often occurred:
2.3.1. Jesus
performed healing continually throughout His ministry, and all of His healings
were ‘complete healings’ where a person who for instance had never walked in
his life jumped up and began leaping and praising God.
2.3.2. Christ
sent out His disciples upon their internship missions and gave them power to
heal any and all people of their sicknesses and to cast demons out of them.
2.3.3. In
Acts chapter 3 we read of Peter being used by God in the healing of the man
born lame who was begging alms in front of the Beautiful Gate of the Temple in
Jerusalem
2.3.4. In
Acts 5:14-16, we read that Peter was
used in a mighty way by the Lord to heal people, and that all who were brought
to him were healed, “14 And all the more believers
in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their
number; 15 to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the
streets, and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by, at
least his shadow might fall on any one of them. 16 And also the people from the
cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who
were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits; and they were all being healed.”
2.3.5. In
Acts 8:6-7 we read that Philip who
was just a deacon had gone from the church in Jerusalem up to Samaria to preach
the gospel and a great revival had broken out, that he was used by God in the
healing of many who were brought to him, “6 And the
multitudes with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as
they heard and saw the signs which he was performing. 7 For in the case of many
who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud
voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed.”
2.3.6. In
Acts chapter 9 we read about how Peter was used by God in the raising Dorcus
from the dead.
2.3.7. In
Acts chapter 28, Paul on the
island of Malta was used by God in the healing of the father of Publius.
2.3.8. In
James 5:13-15 we are exhorted that when
we are sick we are to seek out the elders to pray for our healing, “13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful?
Let him sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders
of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name
of the Lord; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is
sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will
be forgiven him.”
2.3.8.1. Note
that we aren’t supposed to wait for them to come and hunt us down but rather we
are to go to them for prayer.
2.4.
Healing is also associated
with ‘active faith’ in the New Testament accounts of healing.
2.4.1. ‘Active
Faith’, as I mentioned previously is more than believing that God is able to
perform some work, but rather it believing that He is going to perform a
specific work for which we are praying to God.
2.5.
Christ bore not only our
sins as part of His atonement, but also our sicknesses, and thus His scourging
was meant to provide for us to be healed.
2.5.1. In
Isaiah 53:5, we read that by Jesus’
scourging we are healed, “5But he was wounded for
our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our
peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
2.5.1.1. Many
in the church have taught that the atonement of Christ and this verse in Isaiah
53:5 apply only to spiritual healing from our sins that we receive from Christ,
however in Matt. 8:16-17
we read that Christ was going about and healing all who came to Him in order to
fulfill the prophesy that He bore our diseases, “16 And
when evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and
He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill 17 in order
that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, “He
Himself took our infirmities, and carried away our diseases.””
2.5.1.2. 1 Peter 2:24 reveals that this verse in Isaiah 53:5 does
refer to spiritual healing from sin also, “24 and He Himself
bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to
righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”
2.5.1.3. When
we take communion, we are reminded of that last Supper that Jesus had with His
disciples, and we remember His body broken for us and His blood shed for
us. However, we know that no bone in
His body was broken, so in what way then was His body broken for us? Could it be that the beating and stripes
that Jesus incurred leading up to the cross are inferred in this, and that what
this beating and these stripes procured was the Lord’s healing for us when we
have need of it? I believe that this is
part of what we are to remember in the Lord’s Supper.
2.5.1.3.1.
It is interesting that in 1 Cor. Chapter 11
that Paul refers to the Corinthians in verse 29 as not discerning the Lord’s
body and that as a result many were sick and had died. The Corinthian’s profaning of the Lord’s
Supper by their drunkenness and selfishness (taking too much food causing some
to get none), had caused them to miss out on the blessing of the Lord to heal
them when they would be ill.
2.6.
There are many times when
the Lord chooses not to heal us when we pray for healing
2.6.1. Paul
who was used mightily by God in the healing of others prayed three times to be
healed of what he calls a thorn in his side, a messenger of Satan (2 Cor.
12:7-9).
2.6.2. In
Phil. 2:25-27 we read that Epaphroditus had a prolonged illness and was sick to
the point of death at one point, before God finally healed him.
2.6.3. In
2 Tim. 4:20, Paul wrote that he had left Trophimus sick at Miletus.
2.6.4. In
1 Tim. 5:23, Paul told Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach’s sake,
indicating that God had not healed Timothy.
2.6.5. We
really do not understand why God chooses to heal sometimes yet not at other
times. His ways are too high for our finite minds to fully
comprehend at this time.
2.6.5.1. My
wife and I were serving at a church in the Phoenix area for 7 years and during
that time there were some interesting things that occurred.
2.6.5.1.1.
An eight year old boy named Jeremy from one
of the family’s in leadership in the church was diagnosed with cancer, and over
about nine months the church prayed corporately and privately for him to be
healed and yet God chose not to heal him.
We even had a couple of evenings when the whole church got together just
to fast and to pray for Jeremy to be healed.
Yet, the Lord chose to take Jeremy home to be with him.
2.6.5.1.2.
A couple of years after that a young man
named Dennis in the church who was working in the children’s ministry and had a
wife and two young kids also came down with cancer. Again the church came together and prayed diligently for him for
about nine months or so before the Lord chose to take him home to be with him.
2.6.5.1.3.
A couple of years after that though another
young man named Wayne who was a leader in the church and had a wife and young
children came down with a very aggressive cancer in his lymph nodes. It didn’t appear that there was much hope
for him because once cancer gets in the lymph nodes it spreads quickly through
the body. However, this time when the
church came together and prayed diligently for this man the Lord chose to heal
him completely of this disease. It has
been about 15 years now since he was healed and to my knowledge he is still
healthy.
2.6.5.2. Over
10 years ago I was in Oregon visiting a pastor friend of mine and one evening
as we were sitting in my friend’s living room he got a call from a very ill
woman in the hospital. This woman had
had health problems that were fairly severe for many years and had suffered
greatly. She had been told that she
probably did not have much time to live, and since she had heard this and was
in a great amount of pain she called to ask the pastor to pray for her that the
Lord might have mercy on her and take her home quickly. The pastor was sure that this was the Lord’s
will for this woman and he asked me to pray this for the woman. We prayed that the Lord might take this
woman home quickly to be with him.
However, instead of taking her home the Lord chose to heal her. Every time I talk with my friend I ask him
if this woman is still alive and he assures me that she is doing fine.
2.6.5.3. Everyone
one of us one day will be taken home to be with the Lord and thus though we may
pray, and our family and friends will pray for us to be healed, the Lord will
choose not to heal us, for eventually we must all go home to be with the
Lord. It is when we go to be with the
Lord when our final and complete healing will occur, so when the Lord chooses
not to heal and takes a person home we need to realize that complete healing
will occur for this person for he will never again suffer pain, tears, nor any
of the effects of sin again.
2.7.
One last note here is that
the scripture does not say that the Lord gives the gift of being ‘a healer’, it
says that He gives ‘gifts of healing’.
If the Lord heals you He has given you a gift of healing.
2.7.1. God
does tend sometimes to answer the prayers of some believers more than others
when they pray for others to be healed.
So, there is a sense in which God uses the gift of healing through a
believer’s ministry.
2.8.
I do believe that God does
genuinely heal people today, and in my years in the Lord as a Christian I have
seen many people be healed by the Lord.
However, the gift of healing is not working in the church today nearly
to the extent it was in the early church.